New record set: Tomato tips scale at 4.48 pounds

CANFIELD, Ohio — Duane Perry of North Lawrence, Ohio, set a new state record for the heaviest tomato ever grown in the Buckeye State.

The tomato was officially inspected and weighed Oct. 4 at the Ohio Valley Giant Pumpkin Growers annual weigh off in Canfield, Ohio. His massive tomato nearly covered the paper plate it was displayed on and weighed in at a whopping 4.48 pounds.

This is Perry’s first year growing tomatoes for size, but he’s no stranger to large produce. Perry also brought a pumpkin to the scale that weighed a 823 pounds.

“There is not much I love to do more than growing giant pumpkins,” Perry said. “There is nothing like seeing a fruit gain 25 pounds or more overnight and knowing that it was something you did to make that happen. It’s really amazing.”

Perry keeps a diary of all of his garden escapades on his Web site. The Web site is an interactive community bulletin board, where he and other gardening enthusiasts freely give advice and share their knowledge on increasing productivity and yield.